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Thursday, 31 July 2014

Some people celebrate losing weight with a professional pedicure. Others opt for a new bikini. But if you're Kim Kardashian, you highlight your 56-pound weight loss on a high fat low carb ketogenic diet by going gothic, reported Hello magazine on July 21.

"Gothic keeks," she captioned her new look. She also posted a selfie showing herself at the gym, emphasizing her slimmer body by wearing only a bra top and leggings.

With a one-year-old baby, Kim is taking advantage of nap time for North to work out and maintain her weight loss. She summed it up with a post: "Gym time while my baby is napping," reported Us Weekly on July 20.

Proud of her slim-down success, Kim has posted numerous shots of her body in a bikini. Apparently her fans enjoy them, as she has more than 16 million Instagram followers.

Among those fans: Kim's new husband Kanye West. After spending more than 14 million dollars for his wedding, he wants to make sure the world knows how much he admires her.

Kanye recently told GQ magazine that he feels Kim is the perfect woman. Describing her body and face as fabulous, he noted, "And she's a nice person, and she has her own money and is family oriented," reported the New York Daily Newson July 21.

The rapper said that all those factors make her comparable to a "fighter jet or dinosaur. And just as rarely seen." He hopes that together they can provide a healthy lifestyle for their daughter.

"We're going to fight to raise the respect level for celebrities so that my daughter (North West) can live a more normal life. She didn't choose to be a celebrity. But she is," he noted.

Losing weight under the media spotlight and public scrutiny is part of the celebrity life. Although it can make it challenging (Kim reportedly tried to hide in her house during her first phase of weight loss), Kardashians are known for keeping up with what they see as their obligation to strut their style. Kim succeeded in losing 56 pounds using a high fat low carb ketogenic diet based on the Atkins weight loss plan.

How it works: Nutritional ketosis (which occurs in this type of weight loss plan due to the restriction of carbohydrates and boost in fats and protein) occurs when you reduce carbohydrates and boost fat and protein. Your body stops using glycogen for fuel and uses fat for energy instead.

For those who think that carbohydrates are essential for energy and health, Dr. Phinney has a message: "The concept that humans 'need a certain amount of dietary carbs for proper function of the body' has no basis in science. It is a myth perpetuated by the USDA and the dietetic establishment."

In one study challenging that "myth," two individuals consumed no carbohydrates for a year with no negative consequences while closely observed in a hospital. In another study, researchers "infused insulin into obese humans in fasting ketosis and demonstrated that they had no symptoms of hypoglycemia despite blood sugar levels that should have caused them to be in a coma," noted Dr. Phinney.

That latter study demonstrated that our bodies function just fine on ketones no matter what your blood glucose level. Butwhat precisely is a ketogenic diet, and how does it work for weight loss while enhancing parameters of health such as cholesterol level and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes?

Dr. Phinney defines a ketogenic diet as one with total carbohydrates between 10 to 50 grams daily. The rest of the diet consists of fats (example: avocado, nuts and olive oil) and protein (example: chicken, cheese. beef, eggs, pork and turkey). Add to that copious amounts (5 servings per day) of non-starchy vegetables to provide important minerals such as potassium and magnesium.

"People on a well-formulated ketogenic diet maintain normal blood sugar levels because their bodies' learn to use much, much less blood sugar," Dr. Phinney explained. Morever, as their bodies become keto-adapted and burn fat for energy, "the liver can make enough glucose via gluconeogenesis to supply that small amount of blood sugar that is actually consumed."

In the book that he authored with Volek, the ideal ketogenic diet is high in fat, low in carbohydrates and moderate in protein. They advise consuming .7 to .9 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

Franziska Spritzler, a registered dietitian specializing in low carb diets, offered this explanation of how nutritional ketosis works in an exclusive interview: "When carbohydrates are restricted, the liver produces ketones to provide an alternative energy source to glucose. Once serum ketones rise to about 0.5, one is said to be in nutritional ketosis, which can be beneficial for weight loss because insulin levels remain low and appetite tends to be depressed."

A frequently asked question: What should be the percentage of fat to protein, particularly when weight loss stalls? "I would recommend decreasing fat and increasing protein in this case," said Spritzler. "Unless the meat is extremely fatty, ketone levels will be lower after a steak than after a large hunk of cheese. However, the meat will have a more beneficial effect on weight loss and body composition."

"Turkey meat is much leaner than beef or pork, so it can be a challenge to make a burger with ground turkey that still gives you the satisfaction of eating a juicy burger. One trick I use to infuse moisture into ground turkey is to add freshly grated zucchini. (Perfect for summer when those of us who garden have more zucchini than we can possibly use.)

It’s a trick I learned making thesespicy turkey zucchini burgers with middle eastern flavors from the Jerusalem cookbook. No, the burgers don’t taste like zucchini, and yes, the grated zucchini works great to keep the burgers from drying out. Just make sure you are using fresh summer zucchini, and not something that’s shipped from thousands of miles away in the dead of winter when they are out of season.

Zucchini doesn’t add much in the way of taste, and ground turkey is mild as well, so we need to bump up our turkey burgers with herbs and spices. In this Italian inspired turkey burger we are including chopped fresh basil and oregano into the burger mix, and serving the burger with a slathering of garlic mayo."

Have to say this looks absolutely gorgeous, and I love the little hints given, because I also find turkey meat can be a little dry. You can't beat courgettes (zucchini) and the slightly smaller summer ones are just perfect.

If you should try this lovely recipe and are living the LCHF lifestyle (or do not eat grains) just do not include the burger bun - how about using a portobello mushroom instead ......tastes good.

"Deleted as realised that this was off topic" Phoenix pharmaceuticals.When did that ever concern her in the past. Bonkers posting quality low carb high fat recipes, Phoenix deleting her own posts. Jeez where will this all end ? Stone me, Nobhead will be posting useful honest posts next.Strange times indeed on the forum of flog.Eddie

Over the years we have turned down advertising and commercial links to our blogs and website, I have been too vocal on outfits that exploit diabetics. How could I take money and maintain any credibility. However, we do inform diabetics from time to time about unique products, and this product is a stunner.

Check out this site, low carb bread at 1.7 grams of carb per hundred grams ! Yes you read that right. What’s the secret you may be wondering, I wish I knew, but I can tell you the main ingredient is broccoli. Yes, our old low carb foot soldier and favourite has been turned into bread.

If you work or live in London check this outfit out, well worth your time I reckon. Yet again we see business is taking quality low carb food seriously, it won’t be cheap, but the best never is. Eat whole fresh food, you know it makes sense why fight it.

"Using our unique broccoli flour we have created the lowest calorie, lowest carbohydrate bread and pizza bases, which we use to make the lowest calorie, lowest carbohydrate sandwiches & pizzas available in London !

We want as many people as possible to enjoy our healthy range! Our products are Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free, Yeast-Free, Soy-Free and suitable for diabetics"

Five food writers have been subpoenaed by the legal council for several meat producers as part of their $1.2 billion defamation lawsuit against ABC for the network's use of the phrase "pink slime" when referring to what the producer calls "lean, finely textured beef." According to the Associated Press, three reporters for the website Food Safety News, New York Times reporter Michael Moss, and food writer Michel Simon were all asked to "supply copies of any communications they had with ABC in 2012."

EddieBeef Products Inc.is claiming that ABC's "negative reportage"caused 700 layoffs and the closure of three plants. The meat producer is attempting to argue that ABC intentionally wanted to damage the company's reputation. According to attorneys for ABC, each broadcast related to "pink slime" noted that the USDA "deemed the product safe to eat" and that while "pink slime" isn't the most appealing phrase it's accurate, because like "all ground beef, it's pink and has a slimly texture."

Reps for ABC have declined to comment and the NYT notes that the subpoena for Moss has been stayed. An attorney for Food Safety News said that the subpoenas were "overreaching" and that the website would "fight the requests." Beef Products Inc. are also trying to subpoena two food-safety research labs and a "blogger who has written about the meat product." The defamation lawsuit also names ABC news anchor Diane Sawyer, correspondents Jim Avila and David Kerley, and Gerald Zirnstein — the USDA microbiologist who coined the term "pink slime" — amongst many others.

•We present major evidence for low-carbohydrate diets as first approach for diabetes.

•Such diets reliably reduce high blood glucose, the most salient feature of diabetes.

•Benefits do not require weight loss although nothing is better for weight reduction.

•Carbohydrate-restricted diets reduce or eliminate medication.

•There are no side effects comparable to those seen in intensive treatment with drugs.

Abstract

The inability of current recommendations to control the epidemic of diabetes, the specific failure of the prevailing low-fat diets to improve obesity, cardiovascular risk or general health and the persistent reports of some serious side effects of commonly prescribed diabetic medications, in combination with the continued success of low-carbohydrate diets in the treatment of diabetes and metabolic syndrome without significant side effects, point to the need for a reappraisal of dietary guidelines.

Wednesday, 30 July 2014

I've posted this as a follow on to Eddie's posts regarding The British Dietetic Association:

US and UK Dietiticans are educated that a low fat, low calorie diet is the answer to the obesity epidemic. It isn’t. They are also educated that you will lose 1lb fat for every deficit of 3,500 cals. You won’t. They are also educated that energy in = energy out. It doesn’t. So why is the media and the national educational curriculum for our Dieticians and Nutritionists so wrong??

Question EVERYTHING and don’t believe the media – EVER.

These ‘facts’ are part of their curriculum. But I have spent years studying the data, publications and scientific research. Because I HAVE to know where information comes from. So I look at the sources. And then I look at the sources of the sources. And then I look at the SPONSORS of the sources of the sources.

And this is what I find:

1) Coca-Cola are a major sponsor of the American Dietetic Association

2) They were also sponsors of the UK Association for the Study of Obesity

3) Currently Kellogg’s is a Sponsor for the UK Association for the study of Obesity along with low calorie diet organisations such as Lighter Life, the pharmaceutical industry and a company that specialises in gastric surgery.

4) Coca-cola is also a sustaining member of the British Nutrition Foundation

5) The UK Eatwell plate (which I call the Eat HELL plate) was originally BRANDED by Kellogg’s, Coca-Cola, Nestle and Premier Foods. Currently the brands have been removed but you will still find a packet of cornflakes in the 30% segment and a can of cola in the 8% segment. I read the guidelines from the NHS website on the EatHELL plate and had to stop as my blood started boiling…..

6) This month, the World Health Organisation took £230,000 from Coca-cola, Ben and Jerry’s, Nestle and Unilever to fill profit gaps and as a result have been relying on such food companies for advice on how to fight obesity. Call me presumptious, but I doubt the advice would have anything to do with the avoidance of sugar and processed foods. So they probably desperately latch onto the “animal fats will kill you” bandwagon.

7) Abbot Nutrition is a sponsor of Diabetes UK and the UK Association for the Study of Obesity. A little bit about Abbott:

A subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Abbott Laboratories, they are one of the world’s largest infant formula producers. They manufacture an infant formula containing cane sugar and sucrose known to be unsuitable for newborns. These additives are banned from infant formulas in Europe. Abbott have marketing strategies so aggressive that they breach WHO legislation on the marketing of baby formulas.

8) Abbott Nutrition also sponsor Education Courses for the BDA (so for our Country’s Registered Dieticians and Nutritionists) as do the pharmaceutical industry and Coca-Cola. I was horrified to read Abbott’s dietary guidelines about managing diabetes on their Diabetes Care website which places emphasis on avoiding saturated fats and ABSOLUTELY NO RECOMMENDATIONS about avoiding sugar or high sugar processed foods whatsoever.

9) The British Dietetic Association flatly DENIES that eating too much sugar causes Diabetes. This is stated clearly on their Sugar Factsheet. Their sugar fact sheet suggests that the only health issues with too much sugar is tooth decay. It is nothing short of shocking.

10) The Sponsors of the British Dietetic Association are kept securely under wraps and this information is only available to its members. However we do know that one of them is the Sugar Bureau. Of course it is.

11) The BDA annual report Profit and Loss Accounts showed a turnover of just under £2.5 million and profits of just under £2 million without detailing the sources of this revenue. This information is only available to its members.

12) Unilever is one of the sustaining members of the British Nutrition Foundation. So is Danone, Kellogg’s, the HCGA (the cereals divisions of the Agriculture Development Board) and DairyCo. The HCGA and DairyCo are levying bodies sponsored by Defra (the government’s Food and Agriculture Department). So they have a vested interest in implementing promotional campaigns to encourage the consumption of grains and dairy products for government subsidies. ALL of these organisations implemented food education initiatives in schools last year through teacher training and pupil involvement. They were HUGE education programmes. THEY ARE STARTING THEM YOUNG. No prizes for guessing Kellogg’s recommendations in the “Healthy Breakfast” initiative. Your children attend these schools.

13) Other member companies include: British Sugar Plc, Mars, Macdonald’s, Greggs, Pepsico, Nestle Coca-Cola and the list goes on and on….it’s available to read on their Annual Report. A recent survey identified that the majority of Reistered Dietitians considered Coca-Cola, Pepsico and Mars to be “unacceptable” sponsors. I can’t think why.

14) Nestle have sponsored a large IT programme for the British Nutrition Foundation which delivers online courses for training on food and nutrition.

15) NABIM represents virtually 100% of the UK’s flour and wheat industry. They are major investors in the British Nutrition Foundation.

16) I’d hate to think who the BNF Scientific Advisory Committee and Educational Working Group Members work for, but you can guess can’t you.

17) The Heart Truth is an American initiaitive launched in 2002 and is still ongoing, to make women more aware of the dangers of heart disease. Two of its sponsors are Cheerios and Diet Coke. If you google images on this campaign the irony is so in your face it just seems utterly absurd.

So what are we supposed to do with this information? These are revelations that tell you the truth about how the food industry works and how our children and “Nutritional Experts” are being educated about food and health. When the promotional messages we read seem to be from credible sources, it is so very hard not to be misled. But that is why we have an obesity epidemic and a nation of confused and deeply disappointed individuals desperately trying to lose weight.

Well there is always the common sense approach with food. If it’s as nature intended, and you’re keeping portions realistic, then you’re doing OK. If it comes in a box or a package, READ the ingredients. You have that responsibility to your own body. But I would urge you to consider the following because we have a global problem and it’s starting with your children at school:

The NHS, BDA, Nutrition Society and BNF are behind most of the media’s messages on food and health as well as local government campaigns in schools and other establishments. They are also responsible for health initiatives in schools. Start to question some of these messages, or at least be aware that the ultimate message comes from huge, sugar-dependent corporations with aggressive, legislatively dubious marketing campaigns with no interest in health but an unshakeable allegiance to their shareholders.

"DCUK and Dr Hilary Jones aim to provide education and support to the diabetes community through the Diabetes.co.uk forum, which helps improve the lives of those with diabetes worldwide. The diabetes forum is a support network for people who have diabetes, their family, friends and carers, whilst also offering people the chance to share stories, questions and experiences." This I am looking forward to. Let's hope he lasts longer than most of the medical professionals on the forum. I reckon Bonkers will eat 'rent an opinion' for breakfast, well let's face it, judging by Sid's wonderful meal he posted last week, the lad's seen the light and has gone low carb high fat. I knew Sid would come around to our way of thinking, but Jeez, he was hard work at times, lot of good larfs though !So, come on Hilary, thrill us with your acumen.Eddie

OK you numbskull's and halfwits, listen up, I don’t intend repeating myself. Some of you muppets may have noticed Mo's called it a day as a mod, ask me if I care. It's probably just as well, that bloke was too honest for his own good. Jeez I can remember when Jopar and Tubolard were mods, those nutters certainly knew how to wind up the low carb zealots. We've had good mods before do the off, because of all the back biting and back stabbing you plebs never get to hear about.

You think running this forum is easy, working around the clock, exploiting diabetics and flogging 'em over priced junk and you will see it is one tough gig. Let's get one thing straight, we don't give a flying fuck for the membership. We are part of sitefinders UK an exploitation outfit. We exploit diabetics, the lonely with our dating site and the poor and financially disadvantaged with our pay day loans outfit. It’s a job to me, and keeps me off the streets. OK I know 99.9% of the membership never posts and most checked out donkey's years ago, quite honestly this job would suit me fine if we didn't have any members, most of you deck swabs are work shy layabouts and whiners.

Right, that's my lot for now, except to say well done Sid, you've seen off more members than just about anyone, BTW that meal you posted up last week was a bit of a balls up don't you think ! all that fat ! you'll be giving those low carb bastards even more ammo if you're not careful, what happened that day ? cut down on the meds lad you're going bat shit. Nige thank's for all the sucking up, but can you get back to what you do best, lying.

Catherine pet, stop wasting your time posting anonymous shite over at the retarded son of a bitch Mitchell's blog and get back to winding up the chimps on the forum. Phoenix what's up with you these days, where are all the cut and paste links putting the fear of Christ up those fat munchers, if you don't liven yourself up we will lose the brown envelopes from big pharma. BTW your cheque is in the post.

Check out the link below, and you will understand why UK dietitians are getting nowhere in the fight against the epidemics of obesity and type two diabetes. This protracted debate took place over six years ago, obesity and type two has of course got far worse since those days. The BDA position has not changed, how can it ? How do you say sorry, sorry we got it wrong, sorry about all the diabetics that went to an early grave. It wasn't me, I was only following orders and the the rule book.A day hardly goes by when a diabetic is not posting on a blog regarding the pitiful advice they received from a dietitian. The NHS stats prove no progress is being made. As far as diabetes is concerned, UK dietitians will not be fit for purpose until they radically change their dietary recommendations.

Link to the 'why is the dietary advice given to diabetics so often so woefully inadequate' debatehere.To wet your appetite a snip from John. Ask yourself who are the people completely out of their depth in this debate. Who are the people that lose the plot and offer not a shred of sound advice for a diabetic. Check this link out, it's not all bun fight, there is much to be learned, but not from the dietitians.From John to Catherine Collins

"You have misrepresented my views on carbohydrates. Where have I stated (or even hinted at) that all carbohydrates are bad? In fact, even in the comments posted here (see comment 7) I am clear that the type of carbohydrate is important.

You may believe there is ‘safety in numbers’, but this sort of advice (i.e. standard dietetic advice) is being exposed for what it is: not scientifically based, and moreover, potentially harmful to health.

And in light of this, you and other members of your profession seem happy to dispense this advice. And as is so common, instead of debating the point using science (or at least common sense), you make the issue personal.

You wouldn’t perhaps be trying to deflect attention from the real issue here, would you?

Nowhere in your quite voluminous post have you, it seems, been able to mount a cogent argument to support the dietetic advice highlighted here. Though, of course, you have plenty to say about me that has nothing to do with the issue being debated here. My advice to you is to concentrate on the message here (not the messenger).

Less invective and more rational-minded discussion might help stop the reputation and credibility of your profession from sinking even further."

Without a shadow of a doubt, the best DCUK forum mod in years has done a Capt. Oates. While other mods only seemed to surface on Halloween, or add to their post count on the word games, Mo put in a massive amount of time. Always fair and even handed, never taking sides and always a friendly welcome for the newbies. This has been the pattern over the years, the best mods walk time and time again, who will forget Pneu, the most knowledgeable mod they have had in years, forced to resign on this very blog. I have one keen sense of smell and I am smelling 4lb of condemned veal. When will the dullards that run the joint wake up ?Eddie

From the British Dietetic Association website re a meeting in January 2014 of members.

"The latest UK nutrition guidelines for diabetes suggest an individualised approach to carbohydrate in Type 2 diabetes, and focus on calorie reduction and weight management in those who need to lose weight. But where does that leave more detailed or speciﬁc advice about carbohydrate for individual patients? What should Dietitians be advising their patients? Preliminary research into the current practice of UK Dietitians in this topical ﬁeld will be reported, together with the current evidence-base. Participants in this session will have the opportunity to review their own practice in this area and contribute to the ongoing debate."

As you may have noticed dietitians have featured heavily in my posts so far this year. Diabetes care in the UK is abysmal for the majority of diabetics. The NHS audited annual statistics are grim, and they are grim year after year, no progress is being made, in fact the situation is getting worse. One of the keystones of good diabetes control is diet. And the experts on diet in the UK are the dietitians who are members of the British Dietetic Association. At the meeting a survey was conducted on members opinions, and advice they give, some of the results you see below. As you can see their methods seem to be very unsound, in fact I don't see any method at all. Clearly UK dietitians have no general guidelines or policy agreement to work to whatsoever. To the question How frequently do you advise carbohydrate restriction with type two diabetes on oral medication, sometimes was the answer for the most. The question what would be a realistic carbohydrate restriction in type two diabetes 30 to 50% of energy was the overwhelming reply.

The $64000 question is, how could any successful organisation operate with absolutely no overhaul common policy ? no corporate structure or method of operation whatsoever. Remember we are not talking about flogging nuts and bolts here, we are talking about the health of millions of people. Is it any wonder the UK diabetes statistics are so grim, when the very organisation that should be leading the way to better health for so many, could not run a whelk stall. Until the BDA at the very least, issue some basic guidelines to their members and have some sort of common policy, regarding carbohydrate control or restriction, the carnage will go on. It is my opinion, the BDA is at the very least partly responsible for the early death of countless diabetics. Will it be ever thus ?

Click on graphs to enlarge

Source of information re. graphs from the BDA website January 2014. Info has since been removed.

The $100 billion dollar cholesterol-lowering statin drug industry is under attack, as thousands of Americans are filing lawsuits against the manufacturers of cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lipitor. Research continues to confirm just how dangerous these drugs are, with yet another study published recently linking increased statin drug use to type 2 diabetes. Since the study was published by the American Diabetes Association, these known risks to cholesterol-lowering drugs can no longer be denied or defended, and the lawsuits are pouring in at a rapid pace. Most of the lawsuits at this point are from women who have suffered with diabetes as a result of taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, but lawsuits over breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, liver damage, and others may soon follow now that it is generally known how dangerous these drugs are.

This information regarding a tsunami of lawsuits against cholesterol drug manufacturers has yet to be widely published by the mainstream media, however. To find out the magnitude of the lawsuits being filed against statin drug manufacturers, we turn to law firms who are reaping the fruit of litigation against Big Pharma.

According to statistics supplied by various law firms, there were 464 claims filed against Lipitor as of April 15, 2014, which increased to 703 by May 15, and then to 846 by June 16. As of mid-July 2014 over 959 claims have been filed for damages due to Lipitor alone. There are also many claims currently filed against Crestor, the next nearest competitor to Lipitor, and undoubtedly other similar drugs now sold under generic labels. These lawsuits now number well over 1,000, and are increasing at a rapid pace.

When I first saw the photograph above, I thought it was taken at a BDA meeting, then I thought no, surely not, the people look far too slim to be BDA dietitians. The sharp eyed will notice the BelVita biscuit pack on the plate. BDA dietitians love BelVita biscuits.As posted on this blog in the past."Last weekend the Food and Drink Team took Belvita Breakfast to BDA Live, the annual British Dietetics Association conference. As headline sponsor the team was on hand to help keep the dietitians going all morning. Whether they visited the breakfast bar or attended the breakfast workshops they had the opportunity to hear about the science and nutrition behind the brand. The conference was a great success with 82% of dietitians agreeing Belvita Breakfast is a good option for breakfast and 71% admitting we had changed their previous perception." As posted here.BelVita sponsor the BDA. Perish the thought that money and freebies could turn their heads. Photo from a BDA dietitian tweeting here.EddiePost edit. "I have just blocked someone who has harrased me in the past!" I see your spelling has not improved Chris LOLChris can you remember how you used to harass me and many other low carbers at the DCUK forum when you posted as Ally5555. From Dr Katharine Morrison a mod in those days."I have yet to see a post from you which is written with the aim of helping someone get better control of their diabetes or improve their nutritional state. So far I have simply seen one post after another of the "Do not try this at home variety." None of your negative comments regarding low carbing have been substantiated by scientific evidence. I am patiently waiting for your scientifically based expose of the errors of Dr Bernstein's method and Gary Taubes collection of evidence. All we have got so far is personal opinion."

Stripped of his income, the 59-year-old could not afford food or electricity and died starving, ­penniless and alone at his home.

His death was from diabetic ­ketoacidosis – caused by not taking his insulin.

Tonight his distraught sister Gill Thompson told how she believes he may have stopped injecting himself with the life-saving drug after becoming so desperate over his lack of cash and work.

Choking back tears, she said: “I think he just gave up. I want the lessons to be learned. I don’t want anybody else to die. He shouldn’t have died like that. You wouldn’t let an animal die like that, would you?

“I just, I look at food now and think, ‘My brother didn’t have any.’

"My brother was not a scrounger. He was getting £71.70 a week. He was not living on ­champagne and caviar. They should have taken into account his past work and his condition.”

When David died he had just £3.44 to his name, six tea bags, a tin of soup and an out-of-date can of sardines. His electricity card was out of credit meaning the fridge where he should have kept his insulin chilled was not working.

A coroner also found he had no food in his stomach.

A pile of CVs for job applications were found near David’s body.

Gill, 57, demanded a change to the welfare system she believes caused her brother’s death. She said officials knew he was diabetic as he nearly died when his benefits were stopped once before.

David, of ­Stevenage, Herts, had his benefits axed last summer for missing the ­appointment. There have been more than a million stoppages since the ­Coalition came to power in 2012.

David joined the Royal Signals Corps at 17 and served for two years in Belfast at the height of the Troubles in the 70s. He left as a lance corporal then worked for BT for 16 years.

He later had different jobs until he became his mum’s carer when she got dementia. That ended when she got too ill to stay at home. David took two unpaid ­placements but was denied a third.

Officials wrote to him on June 28 saying his Jobseeker’s Allowance would be stopped from July 12 until August 8. A last payment of £122.10 went in to his account on July 2.

David was found dead on July 20. Gill, from London, wrote to ­officials after his death. She said: “The answers came back, ‘Oh well, we followed procedures.’ Well I’m sorry to say the procedures don’t work if people die.”

Gill also told how David was also ­sanctioned in 2010 after not putting enough information down on a claim form. He fell ill but was rescued by a neighbour.

The DWP insisted he would have been told payments would still be available after sanctions.

A spokesman said: “Claimants can get financial support through the ­hardship fund. People can also appeal against sanctions.”

For this poor man to die in such a disgraceful way is a scandal. But it is sadly not a surprise to hear that the sanctions regime has cost another life.

I have repeatedly warned ministers about the disproportionate effects of sanctions on the poorest and of the inappropriate use of sanctions in Jobcentre Plus. The system has gone dangerously wrong.

At a Work and Pensions Select Committee meeting in November, I demanded Esther McVey launch an independent inquiry into their use. She appeared to agree but the Government has since backtracked.

Instead, on the last day before recess – preventing a discussion – a limited inquiry was published that failed to address many concerns. This was disgraceful arrogance.

If Iain Duncan Smith and Esther McVey have nothing to hide, they should not fear a focused, independent inquiry.

Yes folks it's in the Daily Mail so it must be true."Catherine Collins, of the British Dietetic Association, said: ‘Fad diet promoters never let sound nutrition get in the way of persuasive marketing to promote their myths and generate profit"Is this the British Dietetic Association who promotes a diet of slow death to diabetics, hanging on to out of date and bent science to keep their members in a job. No more than a trade union and propaganda outfit for dietitians.Much of the BDA information has no scientific merit whatsoever, but it keeps the members safe. Take my advice, if your dietitian is telling you base your diet on starch carbs and dump saturated fat (most in the UK do) dump the dietitian.Never forget, it's your limbs, your eyesight, your kidneys. To the average dietitian it's a pay check and a job. Remember some very high profile BDA and US dietitians are on the sugar, junk food and fad diet promoters payrolls.From the BDA website here."What can you eat? Adults and children with Type 1 diabetes should eat a healthy diet, just the same as somebody without diabetes e.g. it needs to be low in saturated fat, high in fibre and include a variety of fruit and vegetables."

Many UK type one diabetics follow the BDA dietary recommendations, perhaps that is why 93% of UK type one's fail to get to a safe HbA1c.

Melt the butter I used a Pyrex jug, add the eggs, cream, then add the dry ingredients and mix. Microwave in a 700watt for 3 minutes. Allow to cool and cut in half. Spread on extra thick clotted cream and some sliced strawberries. Serves four. Less than five carbs per portion.

We receive a good mix of comments and thank those that take time to pass on their thoughts. However, yesterday someone said "you seem to be going round in circles .....We'll be having the cake recipe next". I thought what a good idea! So, if you haven't tried it yet ...please do ...our friend Doug and his family thoroughly recommend it. All the best Jan

Sunday, 27 July 2014

When a news story features as a topic of conversation in the queue for the school play you know something is happening, right?

On Friday I overheard two parents talking about statins while waiting for the doors to open for the final performance of the ‘Aristocrats.’

Earlier in the day the National Institute for Healthcare Excellence (NICHE) had said many millions more people should be prescribed statins than are now on them, to prevent heart disease. Cue an unholy row within the medical profession as to whether the evidence really does support such a directive? And an inevitable slew ofpost-announcement stories about the harmful effects of statins.

‘You don’t know what to believe any more do you?’ said one parent. ‘It can’t be good for you to keep taking all these pills, though’ said another.

Yes, it all leaves you and me – the citizen – just a little bit stranded.

When I heard the news come over the wireless on Friday morning my first reaction was that NICE had taken leave of its senses. Not so much because of what it said but how it said it?

Here we were, 18 million adults being crammed into the medical profession’s consulting room to be told what’s good for us. It sounded like the arrogant proclamation of a despotic nation. Not what would you want from your drugs regulator.

Surely it asked its communications people how it should handle the news sensitively and moderately? What did NICE’s Citizens Council think of the decision? And if they weren’t consulted why not, given the wider societal and cultural implications that an announcement of this sort has? We have significant ‘relationship’ issues with medicines – from taking too many to not taking the ones we are supposed too – as a society, and I can’t see how this helps.

In fact, given the ready divisions among doctors about the merits of statins, you have to question whether it was responsible to drop this sort of news on us from such a very great height and without a) some serious work beforehand on developing a clear message thatprofessional bodies and patient groups could stand behind and, b) putting some decision aids in the hands of citizens.

The exchange in the queue may cause many to worry. Or to shake their heads about the ignorance of people. But oddly it gives me reason to be optimistic. That people will treat what they are hearing with the best pill of all – a good dose of common sense.

About Me

We are a small band of diabetics all low carbers. Posting links to diabetes related articles and low carb food advice. In our spare time we like to lampoon the spreaders of fear and misinformation. Welcome to the crazy world of diabetes.